Za'atar Spice Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What does za'atar spice consist of? ›

Za'atar is a spice blend composed of herbs such as thyme, oregano, marjoram or a combination of the three, along with other spices including sesame, sumac, cumin or coriander.

Whisk a teaspoon or two into an omelette before cooking. Use it to flavor your next batch of cottage cheese muffins. Sprinkle it generously across roasted cherry tomatoes after they are romped from the oven. Use it to finish your next grilled pizza along with a generous thread of great olive oil.

Ingredients. Toasted sesame seeds, spices (thyme, marjoram, coriander, oregano) chickpea flour, sea salt, sunflower oil, citric acid (acidulant), lemon oil.

Za'atar has been shown to help people with bronchitis stop coughing fits, and dried sumac, which is one of the main ingredients, has been shown to lower blood pressure and help people with type 2 diabetes.

Zaatar or Za'tar (zaah-tur) is a common noun in the Arabic language and refers to both a Middle-Eastern herb spice mixture and importantly a distinct herb plant in the mint family. The herbal plant is referred to in English as bible hyssop or Syrian oregano, but the mixture is just called zaatar.

Some uncommon Middle Eastern spices such as sumac, za'atar, and dukkah have become my go-to's. They're perfect on fish, salads, meats, and vegetables. Sumac is a red-purple powder that adds a lovely lemony flavor and gorgeous color. Za'atar is a lemony hyssop or thyme, sumac, and sesame seed blend.

The two things to remember about zaatar is that it will burn and become bitter at high temperatures and that it loses aroma and pungency with age.

The name za'atar alone most properly applies to Origanum syriacum, considered in biblical scholarship to be the ezov of the Hebrew Bible, often translated as hyssop but distinct from modern Hyssopus officinalis.

Za'atar mixture is commonly employed in the Mediterranean diet and is rich of bioactive compounds. Za'atar components modulate gut microbiota, oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and obesity. The combined action of Za'atar components might generate beneficial effects for human health.

What is the best way to store Za'atar and the Za'atar spread? The dried Za'atar blend can be stored in a cabinet, pantry, or in the fridge to preserve shelf life even longer. It is best to keep your Za'atar Extra Virgin Olive Oil condiment spread in a cabinet, pantry, on counter, and not in the fridge.

What flavors go well with Zaatar? ›

If you're cooking with za'atar, you don't need any other spices—it can hold its own. But I'm not going to stop you from pairing it with garlic, fresh tender herbs, lemon, toasted nuts, and chile flakes.

But other dried herbs such as thyme, oregano and / or parsley can be used instead of the dried Za'atar. The major flavours are herby (from the herbs!) and lemony from the sumac. There's also nuttiness from the sesame seeds.

It is commonly mixed with olive oil and spread on pita or flatbread, and can be used to season meat and vegetables. Za'atar gets most of its flavour from thyme, toasted sesame seeds, and ground sumac berries, which grow in the Mediterranean and parts of the Middle East and have a tart, fruity flavour.

Some uncommon Middle Eastern spices such as sumac, za'atar, and dukkah have become my go-to's. They're perfect on fish, salads, meats, and vegetables. Sumac is a red-purple powder that adds a lovely lemony flavor and gorgeous color. Za'atar is a lemony hyssop or thyme, sumac, and sesame seed blend.

Anti-inflammatory Properties: Many of the herbs in za'atar, like thyme and oregano, contain compounds that possess anti-inflammatory properties, potentially aiding in reducing inflammation in the body.

Za'atar is both the name for wild thyme, a herb that grows primarily in the hills of the eastern mediterranean and most importantly, the name of a spice mix that has many variations in the middle east. “There are 22 herb species referred to as za'atar in the region.